2018-2019 Communications Strategic Plan - Waikoloa Village Association
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Communication Committee
Waikoloa Village Homeowners Association
Waikoloa, Hawaii 96738
Kū Ha'aheo Waikoloa I Ka Makani Nui
(Waikoloa proudly stands, resilient to the winds)
2018-2019 Communications Strategic Plan
Table of Contents
Definition and Scope 2
Current Strategy 2
Communications Channel Survey 4
The Communications Channels 5
The Website waikoloa.org 5
Email Announcements 5
The Breeze Newsletter 6
Hanging a Banner 6
The WVA Facebook Page 7
The Annual Mailer 7
Notices on the Bulletin Board 8
Discussion 8
Proposed 2018 Strategic Plan 9
Proposals and Recommendations 10
Proposal for the Website waikoloa.org 10
Proposal for Breeze Newsletter Redesign 11
Conclusion 12
Definition and Scope
This Strategic Communications Plan plan was developed as a result of talking to a
cross-section of community members to listen to their needs, and to learn about their
behaviors. Discussions were held with the WVA Staff to understand their processes and
workload. The Communications Committee (ComComm) met with several WVA working
committees: ExecComm, Greens, and NomComm and discussed their methods and
style of communicating. Additionally, financial considerations were taken to minimize
costs wherever possible.
This Strategic Communications Plan provides the BoD with the results of a comprehen-
sive analysis of currently used channels of communications, common message types,
and communication operating procedures. Each year, this document will be updated by
ComComm to provide the BoD with ongoing information on the effectiveness of cur-
rently used channels of communications, common message types, and current operat-
ing procedures. Over time, a trend of effective and efficient methods for communica-
tions will be presented here.
The scope of this Communications Plan includes all official channels of communication
for the WVA including print, electronic, and verbal exchange. Discussion of the mea-
sured usage vs. self-reported usage of various channels of communication is present-
ed. Recommendations for improvements are suggested. The purpose of the recom-
mendations is to improve and maintain good communications between the Waikoloa
Village Association (WVA) members, WVA Management, and WVA committees.
Current Strategy
There are a large number of channels of communication used by the BoD, WVA Office
Staff, and Golf Course Employees (collectively the WVA Management). The communica-
tions strategy currently employed by the WVA is most easily understood by examining
outgoing communications and incoming communications separately.
Below is a block diagram showing the kinds of messages that are frequently sent (in
blue), and the channels most often used for those messages (in black).
Currently, physical mail is the channel most frequently used for official communications
between the WVA and members (e.g. the annual ballot, dues payments, permitting and
construction approvals, and more). Preparing, responding to, and archiving physical
mail is time consuming for both WVA Office Staff and for the Environmental Control
Committee (ECC) volunteers.
WVA Management also field a large number of phone calls and walk-in requests from
resident members each week. These in-person requests can consume as much as 96
man-hours each month of the WVA Management’s time.
From the perspective of WVA members, the Breeze is the most consumed channel for
receiving WVA communications. According to a Communication Channel poll conduct-
2ed in February of 2018, 64% of resident members currently rely on the Breeze news-
letter to get news and information about WVA issues.
The WVA Golf Course Staff employ a different communication strategy altogether. They
rely on the website waikoloavillagegolf.com to coordinate tee times and scheduling and
the ProShop is open to the public for walk-ins and for phone reservations 7 days a
week.
The WVA Pool Staff send very few communications to WVA members: they work with
the WVA Office Staff to send an email to alert subscribers when the pool is closed, ei-
ther for routine maintenance, or unexpectedly. They also hang a sign on the gate when
the pool is closed.
WVA members are eager to engage the WVA in discussion, either via written corre-
spondence, electronic, or verbal exchange with board members or WVA Management.
Incoming messages from members take all forms and span all channels.
3Communications Channel Survey
In order to understand the WVA community’s satisfaction with communications, begin-
ning in 2018, the Communications Committee conducted an opinion poll of randomly
encountered resident members. The survey included the following questions:
a) Are you satisfied that the Board of Directors is making informed decisions that
benefit the community?
b) Is the WVA listening and responding to Village community concerns and feed-
back?
c) How do you keep informed about WVA developments, announcements and de-
cisions?
In February of 2018, 36 resident members were surveyed at the Market and at the an-
nual Wiliwili Festival.
a) 30.6% of respondents were satisfied with BoD decision making, 41.7% were
neutral, 27.8 % disagreed.
b) 27.8% of respondents agreed with the statement that the WVA is listening to the
community, 44.4% were neutral, 27.8% disagreed.
c) 63.9% of respondents relied on the Breeze newsletter to get information about
WVA issues, 61.1% spent time talking to friends and neighbors, 41.7% used the
wailkoloa.org website, 38.9% used Facebook, and 30.6% read West Hawai’i
Today.
Over time, it is expected that the above numbers will change. Each year the opinion poll
will be repeated and the resulting trend will be updated and presented here. In the fu-
ture, we will look to correlate specific changes in communication strategy with overall
WVA member satisfaction.
4The Communications Channels
As outlined above, the WVA uses a dozen different channels for communication both for
outgoing and for incoming messaging. What follows is a description of each channel of
communication, how it is used by the WVA and its overall effectiveness.
The Website waikoloa.org
The website waikoloa.org is the most publicly visible representation of the WVA. For the
first three months of 2018, the website got over 10,000 views / month. The website is a
highly effective tool for the WVA to communicate to members, prospective members,
customers, and the general public.
Currently the website is used by the WVA primarily as a collection of useful information
for members. Over the years it has been expanded to include: announcements, calen-
dars, association documents, BoD meeting minutes, a discussion group, an archive of
newsletters, a local business directory, classified ads, forms for reserving rooms and
amenities, and more.
Searching and navigating the website is confusing, even for experienced users. A con-
sistent vision, scope and purpose for the website was not maintained as the site was
expanded so today the website has lost focus. As a result, WVA members struggle to
find what they are looking for. Only 42% of WVA members report using the website to
get information about WVA issues.
Additionally, the website is not currently designed to attract customers to use the pub-
licly available amenities: the golf course and the stables.
Below, ComComm proposes repurposing the website to become the primary channel
for communications from the WVA. The goal of redesigning the website is to give WVA
members official information and the tools and resources they need to be able to “help
themselves”. Secondarily, the website should promote the WVA public amenities to
customers and prospective members.
Email Announcements
Email blasts are an effective way of reaching a large percentage of the membership with
time-sensitive information. The WVA currently has 2,343 email addresses on file (repre-
senting 77% of households and lots) but only 1,700 (56%) are subscribed to receive
email notifications. For this reason, the WVA has not typically used email as a form of
official communication with members.
The main email distribution group for the WVA is “Happenings and Announcements”.
This list is used by WVA Office Staff to announce BoD meetings, candidate application
deadlines, and “Talk Story” discussion forums. The list has not historically been used
for events although there was an announcement made when Mayor Kim came to speak
at the Waikoloa School.
5In February of 2018 the Board approved ComComm’s proposal to switch from an email
opt-in policy for new members, to an email opt-out policy. In so doing, all 2,343 WVA
members (representing 77% of households) were subscribed to the “Happenings and
Announcements” list and provided with a link if they wished to opt-out again. The WVA
Office Staff employed two experienced volunteers to transfer the data over the course
of 5 weeks.
Prior to the switch 28% of WVA members reported using email to get information about
WVA issues. It is anticipated that this number will rise with the new subscribers, to
something over 44% when we repeat the poll next year.
ComComm encourages the WVA to continue to use email for “Happenings and An-
nouncements” as well as for distributing the Breeze. Additional email subscription
groups can be setup as needed.
The Breeze Newsletter
The Breeze is the official monthly newsletter published by the WVA Office Staff, primari-
ly to report on issues and motions at the monthly board meeting. Over the years, the
Breeze has changed from documenting the minutes of the BoD meetings, to containing
special events and community announcements, a monthly letter from the president, lo-
cal business advertisements, articles from county council members, health and well-
ness tips and more.
The Breeze is a curated document. The WVA Office Staff accept submissions from
committees, BoD members, WVA members, and community members. WVA Office
Staff decide what to include based on relevance, size of the article, and photos where
appropriate. Preparing, editing and publishing the Breeze currently takes approximately
20 man hours of the WVA Office Staff’s time each month.
The Breeze is mailed to 1,350 homes, and after the email policy switch it is now emailed
to 2,343 addresses each month. Prior to the switch an estimated 64% of resident
members reported using it to keep up with WVA issues.
Below, ComComm proposes re-formatting the Breeze to become a rich online publica-
tion. The primary goal is to give WVA members a more valuable and interesting news-
letter full of relevant information and local announcements. The secondary goal of ex-
panding the Breeze is to encourage members to go to the website to find out more
about activities and issues that interest them.
Hanging a Banner
The banner at the entrance to the Village is highly visible. It is estimated by the Small
Business Administration that 10% of people driving by a sign of this nature will read it. If
we assume that 80% of resident members pass by the sign each week, that makes this
one of the most effective channels for broadcasting short messages.
6A banner is very limited in size but could be used to drive interested members to the
WVA website for more details about events and activities.
Below, ComComm proposes the board consider installing an electronic Marquee. A
tasteful, wirelessly updatable sign would provide a robust method for the WVA to com-
municate to resident members, customers, renters, children, visitors, and other com-
munity members. Because of its timeliness, it allows for a great deal of flexibility in
messaging, and would be an effective tool to drive interested members/customers to
the WVA website for more details.
The WVA Facebook Page
In February of 2018, the BoD approved ComComm’s proposal to launch an official
Facebook Page for the WVA. The official Facebook Page is an adjunct messaging sys-
tem that will augment email and website announcements. Prior to the launch of the offi-
cial Facebook page, 39% of WVA resident members reported using it to stay current
with WVA issues, local events, and announcements. It is anticipated that now that the
official Facebook page has been launched this number could rise to reach 70% or more
of the membership.
The official WVA Facebook Page is a highly visible public representation of the WVA. It
does not include a discussion group, so it does not currently require moderation. It is
intended to be used by the WVA Office Staff for broadcasting public announcements.
During the first three months of 2018 (before the official WVA Facebook Page was
launched) Facebook Mobile was the #1 referring site to the waikoloa.org website. The
primary goal for broadcasting “Happenings and Announcements” to the official WVA
Facebook Page is to drive interested members to the waikoloa.org website for more
details and information.
The Annual Mailer
The Annual Mailer and Annual Meeting have always been the “gold standard” for the
WVA to broadcast important messages and to distribute ballots to WVA members.
Based on the number of ballots returned each year, the WVA Office Staff estimates that
30% of WVA members read the annual mailer and 16% of resident members attend the
Annual meeting.
It is cost prohibitive to use this method for more frequent communications. The WVA
Office Staff spend over 500 man hours each year preparing the annual mailer and mak-
ing arrangements for the annual meeting. This is in addition to the volunteers on the
Nominations Committee (NomComm) who donate roughly 100 man hours each year.
7Notices on the Bulletin Board
The WVA Office Staff frequently post information and notices on the Bulletin Board out-
side the WVA office. It is difficult to measure how effective this method is because foot
traffic varies greatly from month-to-month, and even when a person stops to read the
notice, its not always clear which ones they read. It is estimated that less than 2% of
resident members read the notices posted on the bulletin boards.
Chart of the measured monthly volume during the first quarter of 2018 vs. the
self-reported usage for various channels of communication used by the WVA.
Discussion
The website waikoloa.org is by far the most used channel of communication. Since it is
open to the public, many non-members are viewing our website each month. The pro-
posal below, to expand the website as a resource for WVA members, also includes up-
dating the purpose of the website to include attracting non-members and self-promot-
ing public use of our amenities such as the golf course and stables.
With the adoption of the new opt-out email policy, email now reaches nearly 77% of
WVA members. The WVA Staff is continuing to work to collect email address contact
information for the rest of the membership. The WVA Staff is careful not to over-use
email as a form of communication. Members will opt-out if the frequency of emails be-
comes too high. Due to the expanded reach of email, we expect that next year, when
8the communications survey is repeated, that the number of members who report using
the email to keep informed about WVA developments, announcements and decisions
will rise, perhaps to as high as, 44%.
The Breeze newsletter is the most consumed channel of communication. The number of
people who report using the Breeze newsletter to keep informed about WVA develop-
ments, announcements and decisions exceeds the number of people who receive it.
This implies that the Breeze newsletter is shared physically, electronically, and also oral-
ly. Anecdotal conversations with resident members confirms that members talk about
ideas and issues they have read about in the Breeze newsletter with their friends and
neighbors.
Until recently, the WVA did not have an official Facebook page. It was estimated that
10% of the membership visited unofficial Facebook pages each month (including
Waikoloa Village, Waikoloa Village Ohana, and the Waikoloa Trading Post). With 39% of
resident members self-reporting that they use Facebook to keep informed about WVA
developments, announcements and decisions, this number is expected to rise now that
the official WVA Facebook Page has been published.
Proposed 2018 Strategic Plan
The WVA could greatly benefit from implementing a cohesive strategic communications
plan. A strategic communications plan will benefit the WVA membership by managing
expectations and providing structure for members on how to communicate with the
9WVA. Additionally, it will benefit the WVA Office Staff by providing guidelines for what
messages to broadcast via the various channels of communication.
ComComm has determined that the waikoloa.org website can be an extremely effective
tool for broadcasting events, deadlines, issues, and announcements. It can provide
WVA members with “ground truth” and help combat mis-information, gossip, and ru-
mors. Therefore, ComComm recommends that the WVA focus on updating and main-
taining the website, and use the other channels of communication to direct interested
WVA members to the website for more details and information. For example, a banner
hung for a “Talk Story” presentation on the Pool renovation would include the URL:
talkstory.waikoloa.org and WVA members would be encouraged to visit that site for
more details on when, where, and what to bring.
Below is a diagram of the proposed new communications flow. New elements and con-
nections are indicated in Red.
In addition to a renewed emphasis on updating and maintaining the website, this pro-
posal relies heavily on the Breeze newsletter becoming a reliable and engaging tool for
messaging to WVA members. It is proposed that the Breeze newsletter be substantially
expanded to contain regular feature stories, BoD happenings, updates on issues impor-
tant to WVA members, and community contributions. This expansion will increase both
the value and interest of the Breeze to WVA members, and will result in more readership
and better overall messaging.
Proposals and Recommendations
Proposal for the Website waikoloa.org
Introduction:
The website can be setup to be nimble and up-to-date with interesting, timely, and in-
depth of information for those members who search for it. The key to unlocking this po-
tential is easy navigation, and a powerful internal search engine.
ComComm proposes re-focusing the website to become the main repository for broad-
casting messages and information from the WVA. All official messages broadcast on
other WVA communications channels will be designed to drive visitors to the website by
including direct links, and using sub-domains where appropriate.
For the first three months of 2018 the #1 referring site to waikoloa.org has been face-
book mobile, followed by bing, then google. By coordinating messages and driving
members to the website for details, the website becomes the “go to” resource for WVA
members.
Draft of what a re-designed WVA homepage might look like
10DR
AF
DR T
AF
T
As the official face of the WVA to the world, the home page on waikoloa.org has a key
role in self-promoting the Association and it’s public amenities. The audience for the
home page includes non-members such as prospective buyers, renters, visitors, and
realtors.
Proposal for Breeze Newsletter Redesign
Introduction:
ComComm proposes that the Breeze newsletter be expanded and redesigned into a
predictable layout. Having consistent sections for content will allow readers to quickly
find the information they are looking for. Additionally, standardizing the layout will make
it easier for WVA Office Staff to collect articles, edit, and lay-out each edition.
Expanding the Breeze, and distributing it electronically, will allow for greater and more
varied community input, more interesting articles, and will simultaneously reduce the
cost of mailing. In .pdf form the Breeze can contain links to the website where readers
can find out more information or details about a particular event or issue.
The Breeze newsletter is already used by an estimated 64% of resident members (from
the 2018 communications channel poll). With a more interesting and informative news-
letter, readership could rise to as high as 80% or more of WVA members.
It is already the case that WVA members share and talk about issues and information
that is in the Breeze newsletter. A newsletter with more impactful articles and informa-
tion valuable to WVA members will broaden that discussion even further.
Draft of what an expanded Breeze newsletter front page might look like
11Conclusion
This Strategic Communications Plan provides the BoD with the results of a comprehen-
sive analysis of currently used channels of communications, common message types,
and communication operating procedures. Each year, this document will be updated by
ComComm to provide the BoD with ongoing information on the effectiveness of cur-
rently used channels of communications, common message types, and current operat-
ing procedures. Over time, a trend of effective and efficient methods for communica-
tions will be presented here.
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